The means and techniques in current operation do not fully utilize the capillarity of a road network and do not anticipate and take actions to ease traffic flow in road networks, both within a city and between cities. Precise and timely information and an accurate view of the traffic flow conditions as they evolve, such as the number and destination of vehicles, are not available to act upon in real time, either from governmental road safety sources or from privately owned computer-based information centers.
To date, traffic flow data has been provided separately for driving in a city and driving in the surrounding areas. Inter-city factors affecting traffic flows have not been taken into account in an efficient manner. Moreover, effective bidirectional communication between categories of road users is not presently available. For example, a truck, loaded or not, on a congested road will not be guided or led to a secondary route within a road network without the potential for the secondary route to itself be congested.
Traffic congestion is not presently handled in a holistic or integrated manner due to lack of resources, lack of effective methods, and the exorbitant cost of the technologies available. Conventional techniques for reducing traffic congestion employ Global Positioning Systems (GPS), which involve communication with satellites to guide vehicles. These systems are ubiquitous and available to the general public. However, current GPS devices do not provide an efficient way to monitor and communicate traffic flow conditions in the various branches or routes that make up a road network such that the driver of a vehicle can proceed along the best itinerary in the network. In view of the shortcomings of conventional techniques, the present device anticipates traffic congestion and improves traffic flow.
One of the objectives of the present device is both to reduce the consumption of gasoline by vehicles and to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. The present device also aims to make each trip less dangerous and more predictable. For example, vehicles immobilized or stopped on the road by traffic officers are often the cause of traffic congestion that develops along a roadway. The present device and its associated navigation system, once deployed in sufficient numbers, automatically anticipate and reduce the development of traffic congestion. Due to the bidirectional means of communication implemented in the present device, vehicle drivers can avoid traffic congestion by complying with and adhering to directions to follow suggested routes toward their ultimate destinations.
The present device provides effective means to overcome the hazards and inconvenience of traffic congestion. The device includes a set of five electronic modules, one of which is a processor connected to two interfaces. An interface (MRX) converts the signal received continuously from a satellite by a receiver (RX). The other interface (MTRX) is simultaneously connected to a transmitter/receiver and to the processor. The processor analyzes and extracts position data (longitude and latitude) and transmits the resulting data. The transmitter/receiver (TRX) exchanges information with a remote server in bidirectional mode. The device is integrated into a unit carried on-board vehicles that subscribe to a service for improving vehicle mobility and traffic flow. The service operates under a dedicated remote server that is capable of communicating with the present device.
Another characteristic of the present device is the interactivity between its navigational aid system and the remote server, which provides the following capabilities:                (a) Reception from a satellite of signals relating to vehicle location.        (b) Calculation of the position coordinates of the vehicle out of the signal by the processor.        (c) Calculation of the vehicle speed, the remaining distance and the time duration to reaching the next node of section by the processor.        (d) Transmission of a query to a remote server.        (e) Updating a digital database by the remote server.        (f) Calculation of an updated itinerary for the vehicle by the remote server.        (g) Transmission of the updated itinerary to the device by the remote server.        (h) Displaying of the updated itinerary to the driver of the vehicle.        (i) Queries sent to the remote server include vehicle speed, the remaining distance and the time duration to reaching the next node of a section.        (j) Transmission of queries at a time immediately after carrying out processor analysis of the three parameters mentioned above: speed, distance and time.        (k) One of the following events triggers a transmission of a query at an appropriate time instant: reaching a relevant proximity of the next node of a section, slowing down for a significant period of time, stopping, and starting again after a stop.        (l) The duration is not the same between two queries (variable frequency, asynchronous transmission) for the updates.        (m) Each query is taken into account for a global optimization of traffic flow.        (n) The itinerary is recalculated by the remote server to disperse equipped and participating vehicles over the capillarity of the road network.        (o) For equipped and participating vehicles, the itinerary is updated in real time based upon the traffic flow conditions raised by the received parameters of speed, distance and time.        (p) Vocal announcements to the driver allow him/her to pursue an updated itinerary and to arrive faster at his/her destination with minimal traffic congestion.        